Nail pulling tool



Dec. 19, 1944. C, Q FORMHALS 2,365,463

NAIL PULLING TOOL Filed April 4, 1944 @www Patented Dec. 19, 1944 UNITED Iia'fAT'i-:S PATENT OFFICE NAIL PULLING TOOL Calvin G. Fornihals, Smithfield, Ill.

l Application April 4, 1944, Serial N0. 529,523

Z Claims.

This invention relates generally to .the 'class l of tools and pertains particularly to improvements in nail or spike extracting tools such as carpenters hammers, wrecking bars and the like.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a nail pulling attachment :for a hammer or similar tool, which is designed to give a maximum pulling action with a minimum expenditure of effort and without danger of pulling or breaking oii the nail head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nail pulling attachment for a hammer in the form of a fulcrum lug at the constricted end of the nail engaging claw, with means for receiving the head of a nail when it is in the crotch of the claw, whereby an angular pull will be immediately applied to the nail so as to avoid the possibility of pulling off the head and to imme- 'cliately loosen the nail so that i1; may be extracted with a minimum of eort.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a nail pulling device of the character stated, a novel handle reinforcing means whereby the application of excessive force to the handle will not result in the fracture of the handle adjacent the hammer head, as frequently occurs in connection with ordinary or standard hammers where a relatively short skirt portion extends inwardly around the handle from the handle socket.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, with the understanding that the invention is not to be confined to a strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but that slight changes and modifications may be made therein so long as such changes and modications do not depart materially from the inven- Ition as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in section of a hammer headconstructed in accordance with the present invention showing portion of a handle attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the head shown in Figure 1 with the handle removed.

Figure 3 is a detail illustrating a modification of the fulcrum.

Figure 4 is a detail illustrating a further modilication of the fulcrum.

Referring now particularly to the drawing the numeral I generally designates the head of a hammer of the type commonly used by carpenters, such head including a handle socket portion II, at one side of which is formed the driving peen yI2 while at lthe opposite side is the usual claw I3 for extracting nails.

'I'he claw I3 consists of the usual relativelyy long curved wings I4 between which is the in-y .lnormal upon the side of the socket remote from the claw I3 as indicated at I1. Thus the socket is extended upon one side to a greater length than upon the opposite side and this extended portion I1 of the socket forms a reinforcement or brace for the wood handle I8 when force is applied thereto to effect the extraction of a nail from a piece of material. The inner end of the 4socket or extended portion is cut off obliquely to the length of the socket as indicated at 19, the angle of this end being such that the line thereof substantially passes through the inner end of the claw slot.

In accordance with the present invention there Ais formed upon the back of the claw I3 at the inner end of the slot I5, the fulcrum body 20 which extends the full width of the head and, in the form illustrated in Figure 1, is formed upon its top side to have the two transverse, spaced ribs 2|.

The face of the body 20 nearest the crotch I6 of the nail receiving slot, has a relatively shallow groove 22 formed thereacross and terminates at its inner end in the recess 23, in which recess the crotch I6 of the slot also terminates.

In the use of the nail extractor the portion of the nail adjacent the head will engage in the constricted end of the slot and, in the case of very small nails, will lie within the recess 23 sc that when a pull is then applied by rocking the hammer head upon the corner of the fulcrum 2U nearest 'the nail or the rib 2I nearest thereto, the body` of the nailv will immediately be bent 'and some of the pulling force will be transmitted to the body of the nail from the fulcrum instead of being entirely applied to the ,'nail head with the consequent danger of pulling the same off.

The side of the fulcrum lug or body 20 nearest the nail is higher than the side farthest away therefrom and consequently the nail will at once be bent around the fulcrurn lug so as to get the arrangement a maximum of force can be applied to the n'ail to effect the smooth extraction thereof from a piece of material, with the application of a minimum of effort to the hammer handle and also without danger of breaking oi the nail head.

In Figures 3 and 4 there are shown two modifications of the fulcrum lug, the rst figure showing a lug 24 which is flat :and square upon its top side while the second figure shows a lug .25 which is rounded or substantially semi-circular. With this form of lug there will be a rolling action as the pull is applied to the hammer handle. Thus there will be less possibility of marring or injuring a surface against which the fulcrum is pressed and would be the case in connection with use of the square lug or the rilobed- .nail as the force is applied, pressure is applied progressively along the body of the nail as, it is pulled from the material instead of having the entire force applied to the nail head with the consequent danger of pulling y01T the head, as would be the case if the pull upon the nail were straight instead of in a curve.

I claim: l

1. A nail pulling lmeans for a hammer head having a curved -claW provided with a tapered nail receiving slot, comprising an outstanding lug formed across the width of the head at the inner end of said slot, said lug providing a fulcrum upon which the head is Eoscillated in the process of extracting a nail from a piece of material, said lug having a Wall immediately adjacent to the inner end of the slot-l and provided with a nail receiving groove.

2l. A nail pulling means as set forth in claim 1. in which the said nail receiving groove terminates at its inner en-d in an enlarged recess in Which the constricted end of the nail receiving slot also terminates.

CALWN G. FORMHALS. 

